If you’re a B2B marketer looking to build a more human and compelling brand, Founder Brand by Dave Gerhardt is a must-read. Gerhardt – a veteran marketer from companies like Drift and HubSpot – shares a clear, step-by-step guide on turning a founder’s personal story into a marketing advantage.

In today’s landscape, buyers (even in B2B) crave human connection and authenticity. This book resonated with me because it explains exactly how a founder’s personal brand can build that trust and make your company stand out. Gerhardt’s style is very straightforward – he breaks everything down into three levels so it feels like a blueprint you can follow.

By the end, you’ll see how a founder’s story, consistent content, and engagement can supercharge your marketing efforts. In short, it’s a great resource on how to build a personal brand with practical steps anyone in content marketing can apply.

Key takeaways

People buy from people, not faceless companies

Putting a real face (the founder) to your business builds trust and credibility. In competitive B2B markets, a personable founder story becomes a unique selling point that attracts customers who know, like and trust the person behind the product.

Craft your founder’s story and vision

Start with a clear, personal origin story—why the company exists, the problem you’re solving and the “enemy” you’re fighting. Narrow your focus to a specific niche to stand out, and weave relatable details (challenges, aha-moments, humor) into every piece of content.

Think like a publisher – consistently share content

Treat social channels (especially LinkedIn and X/Twitter) like your own media outlets. Post helpful insights, behind-the-scenes looks and opinions regularly. It’s fine to get drafting help, but founders should personally engage with comments and conversations.

Use feedback and data to iterate

Track follower growth, engagement and inbound opportunities (sales leads, partnerships, event invites). Let audience reactions guide future content and even product ideas. Stay hands-on—authentic two-way dialogue is the core of a strong founder brand.

Level 1: master the art of storytelling

The first level (or section) of the book dives into storytelling. Gerhardt’s advice here: commit to becoming a master storyteller of your own journey . Every founder (or expert) has a unique backstory – the experiences and insights that led them to start the business. Instead of hiding behind the corporate veneer, bring that story front and center.

Start by framing your founder story around the problem you set out to solve. Why did you feel so strongly about this issue? How did you come to the solution? By answering these questions, you create a narrative that is not only about your company, but about you as a protagonist. The key is to include personal, relatable elements. Share the challenges you’ve faced, the “aha” moments, maybe even failures or funny anecdotes. These human details make your story authentic and engaging . Remember, people want to work with, and buy from, someone they feel they know. So put yourself in the story, rather than just talking about the product or market in abstract .

Gerhardt also introduces two important storytelling tactics in this section: define your niche and identify your enemy.

Focusing on a niche means you clearly pinpoint who your ideal customer is and what specific category you’re operating in. Don’t try to be everything to everyone – it’s more powerful to be the go-to person in a smaller domain. If there’s an established category, position yourself differently; if not, create a new category you can lead. The book suggests that if you can’t be first in an existing space, set up a new space where you are first . From a content perspective, this helps tailor your message. You can address the exact needs and language of your target audience, which makes your content far more compelling to them.

Defining an “enemy” or villain gives your story drama and clarity. In marketing terms, the enemy could be a problem in the industry, a status quo approach that you disagree with, or an inefficiency that your product fixes. By calling out an enemy, you create a narrative conflict: Our company exists to fight <X> on your behalf. This not only rallies customers who also dislike that “enemy,” but it positions your product as the hero in the story. Gerhardt explains that having a clear villain helps demonstrate how your brand offers a resolution to customers’ struggles . It makes your story memorable and also differentiates you – because you stand for something.

With your niche defined and your enemy identified, you as the founder should start telling this story everywhere – on your website, in pitch decks, interviews, and especially on social media. At Level 1, it’s all about crafting the narrative foundation. Get it to a point where it’s succinct and compelling. (Gerhardt even recommends distilling your origin story into a short “elevator pitch” style explanation that you can sprinkle into content repeatedly, until your audience knows it by heart.) The output of Level 1 is a story framework you’re confident in: who you are, what problem you’re solving and why, and what makes you (and your approach) different. Once you have that, you’re ready to amplify it in Level 2.

Level 2: become a publisher

Level 2 of building a founder brand is about amplification – now that you have a great story, you need to share it consistently through content. Gerhardt calls this “becoming a publisher.” The idea is to treat your personal brand kind of like a media outlet: you have valuable knowledge and a perspective, so start broadcasting it on channels where your customers spend time.

For B2B, the book zeroes in on social media – particularly LinkedIn and Twitter – as the key platforms to grow a founder’s presence . Gerhardt addresses a common skepticism: many founders (and marketers) think posting on social media can be vanity or a distraction. His take: if you care about growing your business, you must take social media seriously because that’s where attention lives . By regularly posting insightful or helpful content, you stay on your audience’s radar and build a relationship over time.

Consistency is crucial here. Gerhardt suggests aiming to share something daily or at least a few times a week – whether it’s a tip, an opinion on industry news, a lesson learned, or even a question to engage your followers. Frequency and consistency help in gaining algorithm traction and in training your audience that you’re an active voice worth following.

One practical tip I liked is that it’s okay to get help, but you can’t completely outsource your voice. For example, your marketing team or an assistant can help draft posts or polish your writing, perhaps repurpose your long-form content into snippets. But the founder should be the one interacting: replying to comments, thanking people for sharing, and generally showing up in discussions . This maintains authenticity. People can tell when a social account is just a PR feed versus a real person engaging. So while you can have support behind the scenes, don’t delegate the actual engagement if you want to reap the benefits of trust.

Gerhardt also talks about expanding beyond just text posts. Consider starting a podcast or writing longer-form articles/newsletters – any format where you can delve deeper into your story and expertise. A podcast, in particular, is highlighted as a powerful medium: it allows you to have meaningful conversations (with guests or directly to your audience) and capture listeners’ undivided attention for an hour or more . Podcasts can humanize you even further (people hear your voice and personality) and they create a ton of content assets – you can transcribe episodes into blogs, pull quotable insights for social posts, etc. It’s an efficient way to generate a lot of content around your personal brand.

Now, a common concern is “What do I talk about every week?” The book reassures that you already have content – you just need to document it . As a founder or marketer, you’re constantly problem-solving, answering customer questions, thinking about industry trends. Those everyday thoughts and conversations can be turned into content. Gerhardt’s advice is to share your expertise while offering glimpses of your authentic self . That means mix valuable insights (the expertise that teaches or informs your audience) with personal elements (stories, humor, opinions that show your personality). For example, you might post a short thread on a marketing strategy you found effective, and include a personal anecdote about how you stumbled upon it. Or in a podcast, you might share a business challenge you faced that week and what you learned. This blend keeps content from feeling too self-promotional or dry – it feels like hearing from a smart friend who’s letting you in on both knowledge and a bit of their life.

Finally, Gerhardt emphasizes patience and consistency in this publishing phase. You won’t see massive results in a day or a week. But if you stick with it for a few months, continuously producing and sharing content, you’ll start to notice growth. Check in every couple of months to evaluate what’s working (Which posts got people talking? Which podcast episodes were most downloaded?) and then do more of that. Over time, being a consistent publisher will significantly grow the founder’s following and, by extension, increase awareness for the company. Essentially, you are marketing your business by marketing yourself in a genuine way.

Level 3: master the feedback loop

But Level 3 isn’t just about tracking numbers – it’s about closing the loop by using what you learn. Gerhardt encourages founders to actively solicit and use feedback. For instance, pay attention to comments: What questions do people ask? Those questions can spark your next content piece or even inspire a product improvement. You can also literally ask your audience for feedback – e.g., “What topics do you want me to cover next?” or “What’s your biggest challenge with X?” This not only gives you ideas but makes your audience feel heard and involved.

A big insight here is that your audience will effectively guide you on how to deepen the relationship. If you listen carefully, “your customers will tell you how to grow” . Maybe they’re all complaining about a certain industry pain point – that could be your cue to address it more directly, both in content and with your product. Or if an experimental content format (say, short videos) suddenly gets huge engagement, that’s feedback to do more of those.

Gerhardt also touches on the idea of community-building. As your founder brand gains traction, you might create spaces for your audience to interact more (like a private Slack group, a forum, or regular live Q&As). These can provide even richer feedback and strengthen the loyalty of your following. At the end of the day, mastering the feedback loop is about evolving from just “pushing out content” to having an ongoing conversation with your market. The founder’s role becomes not just a content creator, but a listener and community leader.

One final point he makes: you can’t hand this off to someone else. The founder’s active involvement is key at this stage. It might be tempting as your audience grows to let a community manager handle replies or to stop engaging directly. But Gerhardt warns that stepping back can dilute the very thing that makes a founder brand powerful – the personal connection. So, stay in the mix, keep engaging personally. Not only will that authenticity continue to build trust, but you as the founder will learn incredible insights by staying close to your audience. Those insights can shape everything from your marketing strategy to your product roadmap.

Conclusion: why this book matters to B2B content marketers

To wrap up, Founder Brand provides a simple but effective roadmap: develop your story, share it widely, and learn from the response. For B2B content marketers, the book is a great reminder that behind every great company brand is a human brand. Gerhardt gives a practical framework (the three levels) that any founder or marketing leader can follow to start amplifying that human element.

Personally, I found the step-by-step approach refreshing – it’s both inspirational and actionable. The main lesson is that building a personal brand for your founder (or even for yourself as a thought leader) isn’t just fluff; it’s a strategic asset. It makes your marketing more relatable and effective because you’re building real relationships with your audience. And the best part is Gerhardt explains how to do it in clear steps: from crafting a narrative, to posting on LinkedIn/Twitter and starting podcasts, to measuring what works and doing more of it.

If you’re in content marketing, especially in the B2B space, I highly recommend reading Founder Brand. It will spark ideas on how to infuse more personality into your content and how to leverage your founders’ or leaders’ voices as a growth engine. In the age of social media and information overload, the companies that win are often the ones with a relatable face and story behind them. This book shows you exactly how to become that kind of company. It’s an insightful guide to turning a founder’s story into a competitive advantage – and as marketers, that’s a playbook we can definitely use.